TOFU AND BOK CHOY SOUP

Ingredients:
Bok choy – 3 cups, coarsely chopped
Mushrooms – 2 big, coarsely chopped
Firm Tofu cubes – 1-2 cups
Oil – 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Soy sauce – 2 tbsp
Red chili flakes – 1/8th tsp
Salt
Ground black pepper – ¼ tsp
Chicken bouillon – 1
Water – 6-8 cups

Cooking procedure:
Cut the store bought tofu into small cubes. Dry the cubes using paper towel, try to remove as much water as possible. Roast the tofu cubes on all sides on a non-stick cooking pan and keep aside.
Heat the oil in a big pot. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Then add the chili flakes and mushrooms. Sauté till all the water from mushrooms evaporates and they become brown. Add the bok choy, black pepper and soy sauce. Sauté for 2 mintues and then add salt, chicken bouillon. Add the boiling water and bring the soup to a boil. Simmer for 6-7 minutes. Then add the tofu and let simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve hot. You can also add noodles to this soup.

TOMATO SOUP WITH PASTA AND CANNELINI BEANS

Ingredients:
Tomato – 1 tin, 15 oz petite diced
Cannellini beans – 1 tin, 15 oz
Vegetable stock – 1 tin, 15 oz
Water – 15 oz
Onion – 1 medium chopped
Garlic – 3-4 chopped
Dry basil – ½ tsp
Dry oregano – ¼ tsp
Extra virgin olive oil – 1 tbsp
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Red chili flakes

Cooking Procedure:
Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped garlic. Sauté the garlic till it becomes golden brown. Then add the onions. Mix well, and then add salt, pepper, red chili flakes. Sauté the onion till it becomes soft. Then add the basil and oregano. Then add the tomato and mix well. Bring it to a boil and add the vegetable stock and water. Add the beans and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot and let the soup boil on medium to low heat till you can see little oil on the top. It means that the tomatoes have cooked. Then add the pasta and cook for 5- 7 minutes, till the pasta gets cooked. Serve hot with a slice of toasted bread or bread stick.

VEGETABLE SWEET CORN SOUP

Ingredients:

Fresh corn kernels – 1 ½ cup
Onion – 1 small, diced
Carrot – 1 big, cut into small pieces
Cabbage - ½ cup finely chopped
Green bell pepper – ½ cup finely chopped
Green chilies – 1
Tomato – 1 medium, chopped
Black pepper powder – ¼ tsp
Salt
Sugar – 1 tsp
Corn flour – 1-2 tbsp
Green onions – 2-3 for garnishing

Cooking procedure:
Place the corn kernels in a container and add 3 cups of water to it. Add the diced onions and green chilies. Pressure cook the kernels for 10 minutes. Let it cool. Remove ¼ cup of kernels and the cooking liquid aside and grind the remaining corn to a fine paste. Strain the paste and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a medium pot. Then add chopped carrot, cabbage and green bell pepper. Sauté for a minute. Then add the tomato, salt and black pepper powder. Mix everything well. Then add the corn paste, sugar, the reserved corn kernels and cooking liquid. Adjust the water as required. Bring everything to a boil and continue boiling for 3-4 minutes. Dissolve the corn flour in ½ cup of water. Remove the pot from the burner and add the corn flour water stirring continuously. Return the pot on the burner and let boil for 2 more minutes. Serve hot and garnish with green onions.

CREAM OF CARROT SOUP

Ingredients:
Carrots – 3, medium size
Shallot – 1
Tomato – 1 small
Rice – 1 tbsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Black pepper – ¼ tsp
Cream – 2-3 tbsp

Cooking procedure:
Peel the carrots and cut them into slices. Also slice the shallot. Cut the tomato into half. The reason to keep the tomato in big pieces is that, after the tomato gets cooked in the soup the skin will automatically separate and will be easy to remove. Wash the rice and keep aside.
Heat the butter in a pot and add the shallots. Sauté the shallots till they become translucent. Then add the carrot and stir fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously. Then add the tomato, rice and mix well. Then add salt and pepper. Add 1-2 cups of boiling water. Cover the pot and let cook till the carrots become tender. Then blend everything to form a smooth soup. Add sugar and mix well. Then add cream and let boil for a minute or two. Serve hot. I use to make this soup for my son since he was 7-8 months old. I use to make a thicker version, by adding less water.

PANEER VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients:
Green beans - 1 cup, chopped
Carrot – ¼ cup, chopped
Paneer – 1/2 cup, chopped
Water – 5-6 cups
Butter - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves – ¼ cup finely chopped
Black pepper – ¼ tsp
Ground cumin – ¼ tsp
Corn flour – 2tbsp
Salt
Hot sauce - – ¼ tsp

Cooking Procedure:
Cut all the vegetables in small pieces as shown in the picture. Mix the cornflour in 1 cup of water and keep aside.

Heat the butter in a sauce pan. Add green beans, carrots and sauté for 2-3 mins. Then add salt , black pepper and gound cumin. Stir well and then add water. Bring it to a boil. Then add coriander leaves. Cover and let cook for 9-10 mins, till beans and carrots get cooked. Remove the pot from heat and then add the corn four, make sure to stir the paste before adding to the soup because corn flour tends to settle down. Return the pot to heat and boil again for 5-10 mins, till the corn flour gets cooked. Finally add the paneer and let cook for 2 mins. Add the hot sauce and serve hot.

SWEET CORN CHICKEN SOUP

Ingredients:
Chicken broth – 5 cups
Fresh corn kernels – 1½ cup

Onion - 1/4 sliced
Boneless chicken – 1 cup chopped into small pieces
Salt – 1tsp
Sugar – 1tsp
Ground black pepper – ¼ tsp
Corn flour – 3-4 tbsp
Egg – 2 (only white)
Green onions - 2-3 thinly sliced

Cooking procedure:
Take corn kernels, onion and add one cup of water to it. Pressure cook till soft. Keep 2 tbsp of cooked corn aside and grind the remaining corn to paste. Sieve the paste and keep aside. Mix the corn flour in half cup of water and keep aside.
Take some oil in a big pot. Add in the chicken and fry till brown. Add the chicken broth and corn paste and bring it to a boil. Add salt, sugar, black pepper and cooked corn. Continue boiling till the chicken gets fully cooked. Remove the pot from heat and add the corn flour paste. Make sure to stir the paste before adding to the soup because corn flour tends to settle down. Put the pot back on heat. Continuously stir the soup after adding the corn flour. The soup will start to thicken as the corn flour gets cooked.
In a small bowl whisk the egg white and drizzle slowly in thin stream into the boiling soup in circular motion. Egg should cook immediately forming threads. Pour the soup in serving bowl and top it with sliced green onion.

VEGETABLE SWEET AND SOUR SOUP

Ingredients:
Vegetable broth - 5 cups
Mushroom – 4-5
Carrot – 1 medium
Green bell pepper – ½
Red bell pepper – ½
Tomato – 1 small
Cabbage – 3tbsp
Chopped Ginger – 1 tbsp
Chopped Garlic – 1tbsp
Soy sauce* – 2tbsp
Chili sauce – 1tsp
Salt – ½ tsp
Sugar – ½ tsp
Red chili flakes – 1tsp
Corn flour – 3tbsp
Green onion – 3-4, take only the green part
Fried noodles for serving

Cooking Procedure:
Cut all the vegetables in small pieces.
In a big pot, heat some oil. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 mins. Then add all the chopped vegetables, except the green onions and sauté 2 mins without adding any salt. Then add soy sauce, chili sauce, salt, sugar and red chili flakes. Stir well and then add vegetable broth. Bring it to a boil and let simmer for 5-10 mins. Dissolve the corn flour in half cup of water. Add it to the soup and stir continuously. After adding corn flour, the soup will start to thicken. You can add more/less corn flour for desired thickness of the soup. Let it simmer for 5 more mins. Finally garnish with chopped green onions and serve hot with fried noodles**.

* I used Chings Dark Soy sauce; I bought it from the Indian store.
** I used La Choy chow mein noodles.